Mornings With John Mackenzie

John MacKenzie chats with Alan Benn whose daughter's dog was snatched and killed by a known crocodile at Kamerunga Regional Park on Wednesday. Mr. Benn erected a sign warning visitors, and especially children, of a dangerous crocodile, but callous extremists removed the sign to display their own, pro-dinosaur message. The Department of Environment and Science removed a 2.4-meter crocodile from the area on the same day after the attack but reported the second sighting of an even larger reptile.

John MacKenzie chats with Margy Osmond, CEO of the Tourism and Transport Forum of Australia, to chat about all-things tourism for Cairns and far North Queensland. Margy was in town yesterday to announce Virgin's new flights between Cairns and Tokyo to begin June 28, 2023. The daily flights are expected to bring in 30,000 tourists each year. Furthermore, the Chinese market should rebound in 2023 as their borders are expected to reopen following Covid-19 lockdowns.

John MacKenzie chats with Leon from Edmonton about his experience with troubled youths and the efforts needed to turn their lives around. Cairns and Far North Queensland have been experiencing an increase in juvenile crime and anti-social behaviour, and many people have questioned the ability to curb the trend. Leon has first-hand experience working with troubled young offenders, relating to them, and providing the support needed to turn their lives around.

John MacKenzie chats with distraught talkback caller Alan from Kamerunga whose dog was just taken by a crocodile. Alan's wife was walking the family pet when a known crocodile came out of the water and killed their dog. Alan said that for too long politicians have known about the crocodile, but nothing more than a trap was used in an attempt to remove the threat. This a massive warning to anyone visiting the Kamerunga Regional Park near the old bridge crossing the Barron River.

John MacKenzie chats with Ken Harley, a local crime-emergency activist, after a local tradesman lost his vehicle and work tools due to an alleged home invasion and robbery. Mareeba resident, Max Cherepanov, found his vehicle missing over the weekend. It turned up on a Mooroobool street rolled over and was destroyed, with thousands of dollars worth of tools also missing. The alleged offender had just been released from juvenile detention and it took less than 24 hours for the youth to allegedly commit another crime.

John MacKenzie chats with Craig Crawford, ALP State Member for Barron River, about Cairns City's new green buses. Five new electric-powered buses have been introduced to service the people of Cairns in an effort to shift to sustainable practices. In addition to the green move, six Network Officers will be employed to ensure an experience of safety and well-being on board. The officers can assist drivers with any violent or unruly passengers.

John MacKenzie chats with Cr. Brett Olds, CRC Representative for Division 9, about the Northern beaches trail link. Council recently announced plans for an 8-metre bridge over Deep Creek. The bridge is a part of a $6.4M project to connect our northern beaches.

John MacKenzie chats with George Karagiannis, Owner of Fetta's Greek Taverna, about violent behavior and assaults in Cairns CBD and the reflection this has on visitors. Reports of fearful travelers have emerged as violent attacks in the city show no signs of decreasing, putting pressure on authorities to act before the perception of Cairns as a safe tourist destination wanes. Mr. Karagiannis said for too long now people have been beating the drum of change, warning that anti-social violence must be dealt with now before it's too late.

John MacKenzie chats with Senator Matt Canavan about the comments made by Chris Bowen on energy prices and renewables power. Chris Bowen, Federal Minister for Climate Change and Energy, called out the "liars" who blame the rise in energy costs on the radical shift to renewable power, instead pointing to other factors, including the war in Ukraine. Senator Canavan wanted to correct the record, reminding the fact that Australia, as a net producer of energy, does not rely on Russia to meet its energy needs.   "We have invested more than anywhere else in the world, in renewable energy. We've been investing in wind and solar at a rate four times the rate in Europe and North America on a per-person basis, and now we have an electricity grid that is struggling to maintain supply" Senator Canavan said.

John MacKenzie chats with Mark Wuth, Infrastructure and Assets Director at Cairns Regional Council, about the future of our local water supply and security. With 98% of cairns' water coming from either Copperlode Falls Dam or Behana Creek, some experts are warning a diversification is necessary, esp after the 2018 issue where both sources were temporarily cut off by a storm. Mr. Wuth said that the council will address all areas of vulnerability as the network evolves and improves.

John MacKenzie chats with Ian leavers, President and CEO of the Queensland Police Union about "Jack's Law" and police powers as Cairns faces an ever-increasing rate of criminal activity.  Jack's Law will expand police wanding powers to detect metallic objects, especially knives, after the random 2019 stabbing death of 19-year-old Jack Beasley. Mr. Leavers spoke about the battle to protect innocent citizens in the modern world.

John MacKenzie chats with Tom Cooper, General Manager of Beam, about the rollout of the company's electric scooter service for the city of Cairns. Visitors and locals alike can now enjoy a faster way to traverse our tropical paradise on one of Beam's e-scooters for hire. Using a mobile phone app, users can jump on an e-scooter and go.  The registered riding zones include Cairns City, Cairns North, Portsmith, Parramatta Park, and Edge Hill.

John MacKenzie chats with talkback caller, Rossco from Townsville, who has had first-hand experience working with young offenders. Rossco explained how not only education and practical training is imperative to turn around the lives of juvenile recidivist offenders, but that real-world jobs should be available to them to instill a sense of responsibility and purpose.

John MacKenzie chats with Nick Dametto, KAP State Member for Hinchinbrook, about the shocking revelation of alleged child-on-child abuse happening within the residential care home system. Nightmarish allegations of children being raped and abused by their peers have come out from workers who fear things will only get worse as juvenile sex offenders are being put in homes with children who in turn become their next victims. Nick Dametto blasted the government by asking questions in state parliament addressing child protection.

John MacKenzie chats with Anna Stanbridge from Redlynch about community groups coming together to fight crime after she was the victim of a home invasion. In anticipation of rising crime, Anna and her neighbours had already formed an action plan to tackle thefts and home invasions in their Redlynch cul de sac. Using a prepurchased airhorn, Anna was able to alert her neighbour in the early hours of the morning, many of whom rallied on the street in a collective effort of support. Each resident was already armed with an air horn to alert one another. Anna advocated for neighbours to get to know each other, keep in touch, and form groups that can tackle crime in their street.

John MacKenzie chats with Kevin Goan, Detective Inspector for the Far North District Crime Group, about the arrest of Rajwinder Singh in India for the alleged murder of Cairns local Toyah Cordingley. Local and federal police worked tirelessly in two countries in an effort to locate person-of-interest, Rajwinder Singh. A reward of $1 million was recently announced if it lead to the arrest of Mr. Singh, who currently sits in custody in New Delhi. Police efforts have been praised by the Cordingley family. In October 2018, the body of 24 year old Toyah Cordingley was discovered murdered at Wangetti Beach.

John MacKenzie chats with Senator Jim Molan, Retired Major General and Chief of Operations in Iraq, about his book titled Danger on Our Doorstep about a potential war with China. The argument is being made that for the first time in many decades, war could soon be on Australia's doorstep with the growing danger of Chinese growth and expansion in the Pacific region. Senator Molan's book looks at the likelihood of war and what it may look like in the 21st century.

John MacKenzie chats with Professor Greg Barton, International Security Expert and Chair of Global Islamic Politics at the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, about Defence Minister Richard Marles' meeting with China. Minister Marles spoke with Wei Fenghe, his Chinese counterpart, in Cambodia as a part of the ASEAN meeting to discuss the role of the Australian and Chinese military in the Asian-Pacific area. Professor Barton provided valuable insight into the matter.

John MacKenzie chats with Senior Constable Heidi Marek of the Cairns District Crime Prevention Office, about the recent spate of bicycle thefts, sometimes with force. Traditional and electric bikes and expensive E-Scooters are being stolen across the region, often ending up in what is being called a "bicycle graveyard" where bikes are stripped for parts and then dumped. Some younger people have reported being robbed of their bikes by force with social media reporting daily occurrences.

John MacKenzie chats with Dr. Don Mackie, Executive Director of Medical Services at Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service, to gain a local perspective on the latest wave of Covid-19. Cairns Hospital changed its pandemic response from "Green" to "Amber" last week, meaning that no elective surgery has been rescheduled and other limitations are in place. Face masks are recommended when entering a hospital or health service. The fourth wave of covid-19 is expected to cause a disruption to the Christmas holiday season in Queensland.